An Introduction To Ink Cartridges

Each ink cartridge contains a number of separated ink reservoirs. High end manufacturers add electronic components to their ink cartridges. This makes it easy for the cartridge to communicate with the printer. Popular printers like HP and Canon make use of a thermal sensor in their cartridge which allows the nozzle to spread ink uniformly on the paper in response to a signal sent by the printer. As the ink begins to dry up at the print head, it becomes necessary to change or refill the cartridge. Delay in refill may damage the print head. This is because the ink in these cartridges acts like a coolant that protects the heating elements in them. When the coolant dries out and the thermal sensors become hot, the heating elements burn up and cause permanent damage to the head of the printer.

Usually genuine ink cartridges are quite expensive. Therefore, many people often turn to generic or compatible ink cartridges that are not made by the printer manufacturer. Generic or third party ink cartridges may seem like an attractive alternative to costly ink jet cartridges. However, surveys show that most high quality inks consistently outperform compatible ink brands with reference to the total number of prints per cartridge. In fact, some brands show an increase of almost 30% more prints per cartridge over third party cartridges. Compatible ink cartridges can cut costs but using quality, genuine ink cartridges is recommended if you desire efficient use of ink. Using genuine cartridges ensure that the printer is always working at its highest and efficient best.


Often, generic brands of cartridges just seem to run out faster than high quality ink cartridges. Another reason to stick to using high quality ink cartridges is that many companies produce inks that work in their own printers. They do this to maximize efficiency and ensure brand loyalty. Generic cartridges may not be compatible with these high end print heads. Their ink may lack the technology and the cleanliness needed to work with the finely tuned printers of high quality.